My Top (and Not) Three for December

December was a lovely month. Despite the mostly miserable weather and close to 18 hrs of darkness per day, my top three for the month were:

Having some quality time with family and friends – that’s what the holidays are all about. This month I shopped very little and instead, I got to hang out with Leslie (here to visit from Seattle), Katie and Forrest (also from Seattle), Ellena (here for the holidays) and my family in Sweden.

Gløgg – I don’t think I can go through another winter without it! This most perfect holiday drink is already on sale for pennies at the store, which leads me to believe that it won’t be available anywhere come January. My god. November and December were festive, but what do people do with themselves for the rest of the winter here?!

Alcohol tasting stations at grocery stores – here in Denmark, if you need to take the edge off anytime between Christmas and New Years, just head for your local grocery store. Most of them are set up with numerous bars where you can taste generous portions of wine, bubbly for New Years, and countless mixed drinks. The stores are crowded, but everyone’s a bit tipsy, so no one seems too frustrated.

My top three least favorite things about Denmark this month are:

Recycling – again, I seem to be doing it wrong! My recycling bin was rejected once again. This time for putting metal in the metal compartment. Apparently, cans that once held dog food and cat food do not qualify as metal.

Danish winter – okay, I enjoyed the autumn. It was crispy and not very rainy. Winter, so far, has been mostly rainy and not at all snowy. The snow made an appearance for a day or two but soon disappeared. I am told this is normal.